A children's rights activist yesterday blasted nursery school chiefs for employing a woman with a conviction for child abuse.

And she slammed the Health and Family Services Ministry for failing to spot the problem before the Happy Moments Nursery in Hamilton Parish was licensed.

Coalition for for the Protection of Children boss Sheelagh Cooper said it was "out of the question'' that Happy Moments worker Gloria Holdipp should be allowed to continue in her post.

Ms Cooper said: "This woman didn't give any indication about her getting help for behaving in such a manner.'' She was speaking after The Royal Gazette revealed that Ms Holdipp had joined the staff of the new nursery, backed by the Seventh Day Adventist Church, despite a 1990 conviction for assault on a two-year-old boy at her then-day centre in Devonshire.

And Ms Cooper took a swing at the Health and Family Services Ministry for being caught out.

She said: "Essentially, the department has the responsibility for licencing these facilities have an examination of the application.

"Obviously, they have an obligation to assess the capacity of the individuals.'' Ms Cooper added she understood Ministry officials had been involved in the 1990 case, so they ought to have been aware of Ms Holdipp's conviction.

She said: "They're giving her carte blanche like they didn't do their homework.'' And Ms Cooper warned that problems could arise in the future unless the law governing nurseries was toughened up.

Chief Medical Officer John Cann was yesterday tight-lipped over the row.

But he admitted he was responsible for assessing "age, qualifications and character'' of staff in nurseries.

He said: "We have a process for the licencing of a nursery and the processing of people who are to be the person in charge and the deputy and on an annual basis we check the staffing.

"We are still investigating this situation as a result of the story in the newspapers -- we are not going to discuss it until we have had a chance to do that.'' But Dr. Cann said: "Under the new regulations which are proposed, there will be far more stringent requirements placed on the processing of any application.'' Ms Holdipp -- then 30 -- was fined $400 with the alternative of a year in jail after hitting a two-year-old boy at her centre. It was a first offence.

The child, according to court reports, suffered bruising and a cut head after Ms Holdipp slapped him across the face after he messed his pants.

Ms Holdipp said on Tuesday she only pleaded guilty because she could not afford a court case and insisted children were safe in her hands.

COURTS CTS